Nintendo 3DS D-pad warps

Do you find it rather weird that a particularly successful product, person or dynasty has problems with follow-up – that is, the successor might not be able to live up to expectations? Well, there are exceptions to the rule, of course (with each version of the iPhone seemingly more popular than before), and to ask a portable console to step into the shoes of the Nintendo DS Lite is asking for a massive favor. The Nintendo 3DS, which seemed to hold so much promise when it was first announced, looks as though it is going through some tough times at the moment, what with the slash in price to $169.99. Folks didn’t buy it not because it was expensive, but due to the fact that its software library is pitiful – so a drop in price won’t make that much of an impact in terms of sales numbers. More bad news to follow now – there are complaints that the 3DS’ D-pad is experiencing warping issues – anyone out there with a similar experience?

There are images of the 3DS’ controls appearing on the Internet, sporting peeling paint as well as buttons that resemble dried fruit instead of being in the pink of (plastic) health. It started off as an apparently isolated issue that is connected to the type of paint used on the 3DS, which means the type of paint used might be of sub-par quality. No idea on whether the warping and fraying is due to lengthy periods of gaming though. Anyone want to share their 3DS experience, from hardware and software perspectives?